


Chasing the Prey

by Mister_Spock



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Bad Friends, Bad men doing bad things, F/M, Gang Rape, Hunting prey, Hurt Spock, Hurt!Spock, I've tagged the fuck out of this, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Manipulation, Memories removed, Mind Manipulation, Misunderstandings, No details of rape, Non-Graphic Rape/Non-Con, Rape, Rape Aftermath, Rape Recovery, TELL ME!, Trophies, Trust Issues, if I missed it, marking victims, mind wiping, sexual trophies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-04
Updated: 2016-02-04
Packaged: 2018-05-18 06:24:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5901703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mister_Spock/pseuds/Mister_Spock
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As a member of an endangered species, Spock becomes the target of a 'rare species' hunt, something he had no awareness of until he is faced with the horrific aftermath of the attack.<br/>Desperate to help Spock, Uhura risks it all to help him, but the price for it may be higher than either is willing to pay.<br/>Complete.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Chasing the Prey

**Author's Note:**

> I just did a little brushing up of some typos with this one. Excuse any missed.  
> While Spock & Uhura are together in this fic but if that's an issue for you, I should let you know that it is not a major part of the story and if you still hate it, well, never mind. :) 
> 
> In regards to the rape, besides talking over what the 'rare species hunt' is and some vague references to Spock's treatment, there isn't much else about it and certainly no details or flashbacks to what happened.

There was a time, in the deep forgotten past, when a woman like her would have been a target.  
She'd have been considered weak and vulnerable.  
Men would have preyed on her. Times had changed.

She was not considered easy prey anymore.

Alien's had started to mingle with humans and it was them who were targeted.

It was never heard of, and in her youth, she assumed the problem had gone away. Humans would live in peace with other beings. It was what she believed in. A future where all creatures were equal.

Maybe her belief in it was what made her so blinkered to the truth.

She didn't even notice it until she was trying to pick up the pieces.

They were on Earth for a short break. They had a week and she had family to visit. She came back early enough so she could spend the last two days with Spock, just the two of them as a couple.

She looked forward to it until she got through the door.

The room was in carnage all of which she ignored in her search to find him.

And it didn't take long. He was sprawled on the bed, half-naked and bloodied, clearly abused. She rushed to him, checked he was still alive and relief swept over her. But it was short lived as she was so close, she couldn't deny the ordeal Spock had been through.

He woke not long after she arrived. With his groggy and disorientated state, she assumed he had been drugged, but he barely spoke and ignored her questions until she said she was calling McCoy. At that, he sparked to life, gripped her arm and pleaded for her not to call anyone.

She relented once he allowed her to clean him up somewhat though he did not let her tend to what was clearly the most abused area.

She managed to convince him to lay down and his mental state let him slip easily into sleep.

While he slept, she researched.

Found that 'rare species' were a prize many went for. Not just human, but other aliens too. They liked to hunt down a rare species. Vulcan's, known for their superior strength were a top 'hunt' now that they were endangered.

She read with growing disgust as she read about Vulcan hunting was considered a 'group' activity as getting the full strength Vulcan under control was one of the most dangerous tasks.

Her blood turned to ice as she read that a group for such an activity would usually comprise of 6 people or more, less would be too dangerous for a Vulcan and that once captured, the group would take turns with the Vulcan.

It was considered a successful hunt when all had taken there turn. Once the last man had finished, they would drug the victim while they took a trophy and 'mark' their victim.

When Spock woke up next, he was a mess. He was shaking and could barely look at her.

She pleaded with him to let her get him some help. He refused. Said he could handle it his own way.

They had one full day before they had to return to the Enterprise and Nyota was terrified for him.

He would not convince the crew that he was okay in his current state.

What's more, McCoy would have all crew scanned upon returning to the vessel. Spock's abuse would show up immediately.

But he was not thinking clearly and she could not persuade him otherwise. So when he asked her to let him be, to have the privacy to be able to ready himself for returning to the ship, she relented.

She returned that night. He did seem somewhat more together.

While she was out she had spent some time tracking down a special device.

It was a small cloaking device made to hide something you didn't want others to know about, used for various sordid reasons she didn't care to know about. It would help Spock's to get back aboard the Enterprise, seeing as they'd just scan everyone quickly, looking for any worrying signs of injury or illness. It was illegal to have such a device but she would take the risk to help Spock.

She stayed with him that night, sat on top of the bedsheets reading while he attempted to sleep. The pain kept sleep at bay, but he refused to be medicated.

By the time morning came, they both were exhausted. But Spock cleared the scan.

They had a meeting with the bridge crew and heads of department. She wasn't sure if she was just hyper-aware of how off Spock was, but to her, it was blatant. He was able to give enough intelligent answers to keep anyone getting suspicious, but Kirk was throwing some weary looks Spock's way. He'd always been especially tuned in too the Vulcan and his moods.

Afterwards, Uhura intercepted the Captain before he could ask Spock to stay. She spoke to him about her Mother's health for a while and asked him about his own break while on earth. By the time they left, he'd forgotten Spock's weird behaviour.

Unfortunately, fate seemed to be against them. A strange accident on the bridge leading to Spock injured and bleeding. Spock insisted he was fine, that he didn't need to go to sickbay, but it fell on deaf ears as far as the Captain was concerned, who simply called Sickbay, telling them Spock would be down shortly. Uhura pushed her way between Spock and the approaching Kirk, insisting “I'll go with him,”.

They headed out, Spock's calm demeanour almost crumbling as they stepped into the lift. “I can not go to sickbay,” he stated.

“We'll go to your quarters. I'll talk to McCoy.”

“And say what?”

“Spock-” she hesitated, reached for him. “He's going to have to know.”

“No!”

“It's the only way. Looks, once it's done, it'll be over. No one else will need to know. It'll be fine.”

“I can not.....” he stopped mid-sentence, eyes searching, as though he were working something out. “Very well. It is logical.”

She smiled reassuringly at him. “I won't be long.”

~

Dr McCoy waited for the door to shut before he turned to Uhura.

“What the hell's going on, I'm waiting for Spock and if he doesn't get down here and explain himself...” He was cut off when she turned to him, eye's full of tears and she started to sob.

He turned to embrace her without a seconds hesitation. “He- he's okay, isn't he?” he asked, thinking the worse for a second. She moved out of the embrace.

She nodded. “Yeah. He's um... he's in his quarters. I told him to wait there.” She sniffed, wiped the tears away. “No one else can know.... I did something bad.” She confessed. “I covered something up, illegally and I had a good reason but....”

“We'll sort it out. I'll help you.” The doctor promised.

She took a deep breath. “Okay. I went to see Spock, a few days ago, while still on leave. But he was....” she stalled, trying to think of how to describe the terrible things she'd seen. She took some deep breaths. “Have you heard about.. um, rare species hunting?”

“No,” McCoy said. “I get the feeling I'm not going to like what I hear about it either.”

“You won't. Simply put, these groups of men, hunt down certain alien species. Since the destruction of Vulcan, they've been included. And they got Spock.”

“Hang on, I'd have assumed that 'hunting' would be the capture and murder of them so as he's alive, I'm guessing that's not the case.”

“That wasn't the case with these guys. They captured and raped him.” She let out a shaky breath having spoken about it. McCoy went to comfort her but she shook her head. “I'm okay. Because Vulcan's are so much stronger, they use several people and they don't drug them, part of it is to overpower them, to make them... feel weak. They all take their turn and then they do drug them, so they can escape and complete the... process. They take a token, something from their victim and they mark them.”

“My God...” McCoy muttered, disgusted at what Uhura was saying and the implications. “How long ago?”

“Two days before we came back on board.”

“How the hell did he pass the check?”

“That's the illegal part. I got a cloaking device to hide his medical condition.”

“Godammit, Uhura!”

“I know. But... he was.... I just wanted to help him.” Uhura said, starting to get upset again.

“Okay, okay. It's alright. Does he know you're here?”

She nodded. “He agreed that I'd tell you. That something needs to be done.”

“Alright, then I best go and see him.”

~

When the door chimed, Spock felt a dread wash over him.

He took several calming breaths before allowing the doctor to enter.

The doctor entered, a medical kit in hand. “Okay Spock, I know you don't want to do this any more than I do, but it's best if we just get this over and done with as quickly as possible, okay?”

“I do not need your assistance. You can leave equipment and I can treat myself.”

“Spock, that's not going to work,” McCoy said. “I'm a doctor. It's my job to do this. And you know that it'll stay between us.”

“I would rather not have you assist me.”

“Okay. First things first. I'm going to use the medical tricorder on you and see what damage comes back. Maybe you're right. If it's not too bad maybe you can treat this yourself. Does that sound okay?”

“That is acceptable.”

McCoy used the tricorder and took note of the results. They were damning. Spock could not treat the wounds himself without the amount of tearing that was present. He'd have to lie, he decided. Spock would never allow him to help the state he was in. “I think maybe you're right Spock. This could be self treated. I just want to give you a hypo for the pain and to stop any infection and then I can leave what you need...” he was cut off abruptly by Spock's hand at his throat.

“You think I am a fool!” he bellowed, grip tightening.

“S-Spock!” McCoy ground out.

“I trusted you, Doctor. I will not make that mistake again.”

He reached for McCoy's mind.

~

“Bones? Can you hear me? Are you okay?” Kirk's worried voice floated over him as he returned from a blackness, deep and dark.

“Jim?” He croaked, voice hoarse.

“You had me worried. Just as well Spock found you.”

“I can't remember what happened.”

“I asked Spock to go to sickbay with a superficial injury from an accident on the bridge, but when he got there, you'd headed out already. He found you in your quarters. Doctor M'Benga is going to run some tests, make sure everything is okay with you.”

“Well, I guess you should thank your hobgoblin for me.”

“I'm sure you'll get a chance to do it yourself. You get some rest and I'll check on you later.”

~

Spock stood naked in front of the mirror.

It was the first time he'd confronted himself. He'd taken the medical supplies McCoy had bought, once he'd wiped his memory and send him into a state of rest. He didn't want to hurt McCoy, simple stop him from invading his privacy.

“Spock? Spock?” he heard Uhura calling from the next room.

“I am in here,” he called.

Uhura entered, shocked by his nakedness. She hadn't expected to see him like that. But she barely had a chance to move before he used the nerve pinch and sent her falling. He held her up and carried her through to his bed. Once he laid her down he returned to the bathroom.

~

McCoy stopped by on the bridge.

“Well Jim, I thought you'd like to know that I got the all clear. M'Benga couldn't find anything wrong.”

“Well, that's a relief,” Jim said.

“Seems like everything is as it should be.”

“Yeah,” Kirk said, as he turned round and observed his crew.

Uhura smiled warmly at him. Spock gave a quick nod before turning back round.  
And despite how everything seemed, he couldn't help but think something wasn't quite right.

~

“Spock, I'm glad you could make it,” Jim Kirk said as Spock entered the ready room.

Spock glanced around himself quickly before frowning very slightly “I believed this was a staff meeting, Captain.”

“It is. But it's just the two of us. I'm a little concerned.”

“Oh?” Spock raised his eyebrows and waited for Kirk to continue.

“I'm a little concerned that Bones and Uhura haven't been on top form recently.”

“They are performing less than adequately?”

“Uhura is usually giving me information before I'm asking for it. And since you found Bones he's been.... I don't know. Forgetful? You probably haven't seen it, I know you don't socialise with him, but I thought you might have noticed it in Uhura.”

He had noticed. But he knew why this was happening. He was the reason for it.  
But it needed to be done. And therefore he could not speak about it. “I had not noticed anything unusual, Captain.”

“Really? I thought if anyone noticed something, it would have been you.”

“Perhaps because there is nothing to notice, Captain. I shall, however, observe more closely in case I have missed any unusual behaviour and shall report to you my findings.”

Kirk nodded as Spock headed out. He let out a sigh, worry not abated.

~

She woke up with him in her head.

_Spock, Spock, Spock._

She didn't know why she wasn't with him, they often shared a bed and she couldn't think why she wasn't beside him right now. And she could think of nothing else but him. She did not want to be apart from him.  
So she threw her robe around her and headed across the ship to Spock's quarters.

He was on the bed, sleeping and didn't wake upon her entrance. She undid her robe and slipped into bed beside him. _Touch, touch, touch_ reverberated in her mind and she slipped her arms around his side  
as she pressed herself against him.

She felt the exact moment he woke up as his whole body tensed with her touch. She expected him to realise it was her, they were touching, skin to skin contact, and he was telepathic. But instead of recognition as she rubbed her hand down to his thigh, she was pushed away and crashed against the floor.

“Spock!” she called after him.

~

Kirk was barely awake as he headed to the bathroom.

He knew that last coffee before bed had been a mistake. He relieved himself and was washing his hands. He didn't really register the faint cry from Spock's quarters before the door opened and Spock stumbled through, looking more afraid than Kirk had ever seen him.

“Spock, wha-” was as far as he got before the Vulcan grabbed him and shouted for him to get out as he forced him through back into his own quarters. He stood there, too shocked to really know what to do before he headed out of his room.

As he did, he saw Uhura hurrying away from Spock's quarters and if he wasn't mistaken, she was sobbing as she went.

What the hell had happened?

~

Spock hadn't slept.

He panicked over what to tell Kirk but once he settled on a story, he made himself believe in its truth and headed to find Kirk.

~

“Tell me again the last thing you can remember,” Kirk asked.

“Dammit Jim, I'm not going through this again!”

“I'm trying to help.”

“I don't need your help, I'm fine.”

“Yeah, well if the display I saw from Uhura last night was anything to go by, you might not be for long.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean she's been acting the same as you have. Distracted.”

“Hey, I'm only distracted when you're here because you don't let me do my damn job.”

“Fine, I'll go, just try and think about it, okay? There's something not right about all of this.”

~

She was trying not to think about him. About last night.  
She wished she could just forget. _Forget._

There was something wrong with her, she just knew it. Maybe she should go to sickbay.  
She flicked through the comms on her PADD.  
A message from X'ia. A friend from the Academy who had sent her a detailed message regarding the practice of 'rare species hunts'.

She was shocked by what she read but more so that she had requested this information.

~

Spock had invited the Captain to his quarters for chess.

He had explained Uhura's actions the night before and Kirk had believed him. That she had been forceful and not herself when she came to him and he did not wish to interact with her when she was that way. His own guilt at the lie seemed to make Kirk believe Spock was ashamed of the whole ordeal and he quickly dismissed the discussion, changed the subject.

They had agreed not to mention her behaviour with any one else and Spock would inform him if anything else strange happened with her. Kirk believed he was on his side, that he was helping him look out for McCoy and Uhura.  
He couldn't fully concentrate on chess, and Kirk won both games they played rather quickly. Spock said he was worried about Nyota and needed to meditate.  
They called it quits and Kirk left for the night. When he was certain the Captain was in his quarters, he headed to see Nyota.

~

Uhura looked up as her door opened. She hadn't expected to see Spock.

“Everything okay?” she asked.

“Of course,” he asked. “I wonder if you have a moment?”

She looked down to the PADD in her hand. “I.... I need to just send this quickly,” she said as she glanced to the PADD and then back to Spock apprehensively.

He raised an eyebrow at her. “”You look nervous, is there a problem?”

“I- I just need to send this,” she said, breathlessly.

He had stepped over to her and he reached out and touched the back of her hand.

She gasped at the touch and looked up to him. “I jus-” She pressed send on the unfinished comm message.

He took the PADD from her hands and placed it on her bed. “You seem distressed, Nyota, let me assist you.”

“Spock, please I....” her hands shook slightly in his.

“I will make everything okay. You must trust me.”

“I do but, don't touch me...” She tried to pull away as _forget, forget_ was repeating in her mind with every beat of her heart.

“I must. I must help you.” He was so calm but his eyes lacked the usual warmth she found when she looked at him. He backed her against the wall.

“Spock....” She felt impending dread as he held both her arms steady and tightly.

“It is for the best.” He pinned both arms behind her with one hand.

“...No, please Spock, no!” She was frantic now.

“I must,” He reached for her mind.

“Hey,” came a voice behind them. Spock turned but didn't release his grip on her. “She said no,” Kirk said.

Spock's eyes dropped for the briefest moment. Kirk was unarmed. He didn't release his group on Nyota as he took the few strides over to the Captain, used his free hand to drop Kirk with a nerve pinch before he'd realised what was happening.

“What have you done?” She asks. And when he looks at her, he sees her for the first time. The fear in her eyes, the tears rolling down her face. She's shaking in his grasp still and what he's done, all of it finally hits him as he stops trying to hide the truth.

“You don't understand, Nyota,” he pleads, dropping to his knees before her. “You _must_ forget!”

And he says it so earnestly, that it breaks her heart. “It's too late. I sent files to Kirk and McCoy about all this. They're going to know the truth.” He finally lets go of her and she takes a step back. “It's over.”

He looked up at her, seemed to take him a life time to contemplate those words.

Finally. “Then I have little time left.”

~

The first thing Kirk realised when he woke up was that he was on the floor.

The second thing he realised was that Nyota Uhura was resting on the bed in the same room and Kirk shot up at that realisation. “Uhura?” he called across to her yet she didn't stir. His shoulder ached and he realised this was a familiar sensation to him.  
And then he remembered Spock.

~

Kirk sat down with his head in his hands, a PADD in front of him.

Uhura was sat beside him, looking as though she might cry any moment. Then Bones walked in. “This best be good, Jim.”

“It's important, it's not good.”

McCoy hesitated at that before taking the seat Jim pointed too. His eyes travelled to Nyota briefly before returning to the Captain.

“In 6 hours a Vulcan healer will be boarding with us.”

“Something up with Spock?” McCoy cut in.

“That's not why the healer's here, no,” Kirk answered, ignoring the question of Spock. “The healer's coming to see you and Uhura.”

Jim paused at that, watched McCoy link the whole thing together. He saw the flicker of anger as McCoy started to register what was going on. He was a smart man and it didn't take long. “What the hell's he done?”

“That's what the healer's going to find out.”

“That green blooded bastard! Where is he? I'm gonna-”

Kirk stopped McCoy as he got up and tried to head for the door. “You're not going to do anything. You're both off duty until this whole thing is sorted out. You can go back to your quarters and wait for the healer.” Kirk turned and headed for the door himself.

“And Spock gets free reign of the ship until we find out?” McCoy fired back.

“Spock's not on the ship.” Kirk finished before heading out. McCoy stood there a moment, not sure what exactly that meant. A sob escaped from Uhura before Bones left the room too.

~

He could hear the yelling before he even entered the room and was grateful that no one else was around.

He entered the room, neither of them stopping with his additional presence.

“..what the hell happened to your compassion?” Uhura raged.

“I don't know, maybe your boyfriend removed it!”

“Bones?”

“No Jim, save it,” McCoy said, storming out the room.

Nyota let out a shaky breath as her hands rested on her hip.

“You okay?” Jim asked.

“No,” she said bluntly.

“Look, I know this is horrible and you're upset but at some point, I'm going to need to know what you remember, what this whole thing is about. I'd ask Bones but....”

She nodded. “I'll come and see you in a while, okay. I just need some time.”

~

“Bones?”

Jim waited at the doorway. McCoy had gone to his office for some time to think. Jim had followed until he found out everything he needed to know from Uhura. “You can come in.” Bones said.

“You sure?” He simply nodded and Jim stepped into the room. “So... Uhura told me.”

McCoy nodded. “Everything from before is there. But it's all tainted with an anger that wasn't there before. I can remember the conversation me and Uhura had, what she'd done to protect him and I know I wasn't angry then but it's all I can feel for him now.”

“Look, I know it was wrong...”

“It's not even that it's wrong, Jim. It's that I had no idea the level he would go too to protect himself. Even against his girlfriend. That he can wipe memories clear out of our mind. I didn't know Vulcan's could do that and you can be damn sure there's plenty of other little tricks they can do that we have no idea about, seeing as they never give anything up. I don't know how comfortable I am with that. I don't know that I can work with someone like that.”

Kirk nodded. “I get it. I do. And he didn't even touch me. I once had my own Vulcan weird experience remember, and it was nothing like what you've been through but it was still intense and I had no idea a Vulcan's mind meld would be like... that. But, despite all of that, right now Spock is a member of the crew. And he needs help. And I know what he did was unethical and wrong on so many levels but he's clearly terrified.” Jim took a deep breath in and let it out in a sigh. “What I do know is that getting him back on board is going to be hard enough. I can't help him after that. I need your help.”

McCoy sighed, frowning. One thing was that Kirk knew how to get to him. His brow creased more when he repeated Jim's words. “Back on board?” At Jim's nod, he queried. “When the hell did he go off board?”

“Not long after I found him in Uhura's quarters trying to stop her working this whole mess out. While we were out, he grabbed an escape pod.”

“You even know where he is?”

“Yeah. It landed on the nearest safe planet for him. Kerius 4. Keeping the pod monitored. He hasn't left the escape pod yet.”

“If he hasn't even left the pod how do you know he's still even alive?”

“We've checked the life readings. Seems most likely he's meditating. Please help, Bones.”

“I don't know if I can work side by side with him again.”

“I'm asking you to help a patient, Bones. I'm not sure he'll even want to stay on the Enterprise.”

“Fine, I'll help. But if I have conditions when I treat him you damn well better back me up, kid.”

“I promise.”

~

Spock didn't attempt to leave the escape pod.

It had safely landed on a planet where he would be able to survive, he knew that, but he lacked the motivation to leave the pod. He knew the crew of the Enterprise would know what he had done by now and he believed they may come to retrieve the pod, but he doubted they would want it enough to divert and collect it. Especially after he had tainted it. They would want nothing to do with him, in any small way.

He had managed a light meditation since landing and it gave him some small comfort. It was not enough, but it would have to do.

He didn't expect the pod doors to be opened after three days on the planet, his resolve to remain unaware in meditation crumbling with the fear of the unknown. His heart pounded in his side as he locked eyes with Captain Kirk and his relief that it was just the Captain was his emotion before he felt waves of panic crash into him at what that really meant.  
Kirk clearly picked up on the discomfort and quickly spoke. “It's okay. It's just me and Uhura here.” Spock refused to say a word. But the Captain was not easily put off. He climbed into the pod a little more, sitting at the hatch. “Here's what's happened. We told the crew we wanted to test the escape pods capabilities with finding planets outside of the human requirements. There was an issue with the pod and it took you to a planet where the environment was hostile to a Vulcan and it has caused sickness and you'll be off duty until further notice. No one knows anything.”

Spock risked a glance up at those words. Were they even true? He said nothing.

Kirk let out a breath. “I'm going to have us beamed up now, okay? Straight to Sickbay.” A hitched breath was Spock's instant reaction though he tried to contain it. “No one else is there, okay? We'll beam straight there. Uhura can stay if you want or I can, or it's just you and McCoy, whatever you want.”  
Kirk waited but Spock was inclined to speak. “Okay, are you ready?”

Reluctantly, Spock nodded.

~

Bones was waiting as Jim, Nyota and Spock emerged in sickbay.

He was waiting by one of the bio-beds, wanting to get the whole thing over with. Jim gave him a look as he stood waiting. “Okay, do you want us to stay?” Kirk asked Spock.  
He shook his head, no. “Bones, a quick word before you start?”

McCoy sighed and stepped to one side as Nyota took a few steps closer to Spock and talked gently to him.

“He hasn't said a word since we got him,” Jim said quietly.

“Well he's gonna have to start speaking,” McCoy said, not using hushed tones like Jim. Nyota and Spock both looked over to him. “How do you expect me to do anything without information?” he barked back.

Spock averted McCoy's gaze and Nyota stepped away from Spock. “I am warning you, do not blame him for this,” she said a finger pointed accusingly before she stepped out.

McCoy waited for Kirk to add to it but it appeared he had nothing else to say. “Hey, I thought this was happening under my conditions.”

“What conditions?” Kirk asked.

Bones looked over to Spock. “I don't trust him not to try something. He's restrained.”

“No,” Kirk flatly denied. He didn't even need to look to Spock to make the call. There was no way he was tying the guy down.

“You are supposed to back me up,” McCoy reminded him.

“Within reason, Bones! God. I...” he looked to Spock, who still had said nothing. “Come on, Spock. I'm taking you to your quarters.”

“What?” Bones objected.

“When you calm down Bones and don't make ridiculous demands, I'll consider bringing him back so you can do your damn job! Come on, Spock.” Kirk said as he marched to the door.

Spock hesitated enough that Jim had to wait, but he quickly decided following Jim was better than remaining with McCoy and followed his Captain.

McCoy let out a sigh. “Well, that went well,” he muttered to himself.

~

Jim took Spock back to his quarters.

He was angry with McCoy but tried to quell it until he could speak to him. “You should probably get some sleep.”

“I must meditate,” Spock said quietly.

It was the first words Spock had spoken and Jim stared a little too long before shaking himself out of it. “Okay. I'll come and see you later, okay? I'll knock first. We'll sort something out. If McCoy can't handle it, maybe.... maybe we'll go to New Vulcan and find you a healer.”

“I....I wish to meditate.”

“Okay,” Kirk agreed, able to detect the Vulcan's distress easily and dropping it for now. He left Spock alone.

~

Kirk had been so certain Bones would be in sickbay he headed straight there and was surprised to find the Doctor had left

McCoy wasn't the type to wander the halls, or head to the observation decks so Kirk was certain he'd find McCoy in his quarters. He didn't seem at all surprised when Kirk entered.  
McCoy was sat at the desk, drink in hand, anger seemingly abated for now. He gestured to the seat and emptied the contents of his glass before refilling it and pouring another for Jim.

“I think we should have talked about what I expected to happen with treating Spock before he got in there.”

Kirk nodded. “Yeah. I guess I didn't expect you to ask... for that.”

“I can forgive an awful lot, Jim. But that kind of control.... that doesn't sit well with me.”

Jim took a sip of the brandy and contemplated Bones words. He knew the man well and there were certain things that distressed him deeply. Clearly, this was one of them. “Is it that he removed the memories or the fact that he can remove memories?”

Bones looked at Jim pointedly. “I don't care to remember this whole débâcle. Unfortunately, I need to know. I know there are some extreme circumstances going on here and that's why he did it, but the fact he can do that and we didn't even know he could? That freaks me out, I'll admit it.”

“I didn't know either,” Kirk admitted.

“You think he can do other stuff? Cause I bet he can.”

“He never did anything like this before.”

“How do you know? He could be doing it all the time. No one would remember.”

“The Vulcan healer would have seen it. And Spock spends most of his free time with Nyota. It would have been her that had all these gaps, right? Besides, the way you two were acting, I can't imagine we wouldn't have noticed if he were doing that all the time.”

“Maybe,” Bones said with a shrug.

“I'm going to see about diverting to New Vulcan tomorrow. See if we can't find someone to help Spock.”

“We literally just had a healer on board. Go back and get her.”

Kirk shook his head. “No. He can't just go to a healer and get back to work. He needs.... he needs recovery. I'm not sure he can do that here.”

“Well... yeah I guess that makes sense. Have you ran that past him?”

“Yeah, but he wasn't in the right mind to really have a conversation.” McCoy nodded in understanding. Of course, Spock wasn't.

“Okay listen. I'm just going to mention this once and then we forget it, okay?”

“Go on, McCoy encouraged.

“Treating Spock, what about if I'm in your office, keeping an eye on him?”

“That's a gross violation of his privacy,”

“I didn't say I wouldn't tell him.”

“You really don't want to take him to Vulcan, do you?”

“I want to give him options. Even if there's only two.”

“Okay, if he agrees then I'd be prepared to do that.”

“Good. I'll speak to him about it later. Once he's had a chance to meditate for a while.”

~

The last thing McCoy expected was for Spock to turn up at sick bay.

He was tending to a patient but it was nothing that Chapel couldn't finish up. He schooled the slight surprise at seeing Spock and covered the visit as a planned visit. “Ah Mr Spock, I didn't realise it was that time already. Nurse Chapel, can you finish up with Newman here.”

“Of course, Doctor,” she said, stepping in. McCoy headed to his office and Spock followed him inside. McCoy called for the doors to be locked. The office, due to it being situated in sick bay was constantly sound proofed.  
“Okay, Spock. What can I do for you?” McCoy asked. He didn't want to assume anything.

“I have come for the... I apologise, I am unsure of what exactly you wish to do precisely. An evaluation of my injuries, treatment or a psychological profile.”

McCoy would think the Vulcan was being flippant in any other circumstances. McCoy took his seat. He considered Spock's words before pressing. “What bought this change on?”

“The Captain's alternatives included going to New Vulcan to see a mind healer. I do not wish for any other being to be aware of... “ he stalled for the word before settling “..this matter. Therefore it made sense to reconsider my choices. I would also wish to add that I will comply with your previous request.”

“Listen, Spock about that, I er.... I over reacted. It won't be necessary.”

Spock took a moment or two before nodding.

McCoy let out a breath. “Okay, well as you're here and ready, I guess we should get this ready. We'' go through to one of the private rooms.”

He saw Spock visibly swallow but he nodded his head anyway.

“Right. Follow me.”

~

“I'm going to start with a scan, just to see what damage remains,” McCoy told Spock. He could sense Spock's discomfort, the way his hand gripped onto the side of the bed didn't do unnoticed by McCoy.  
There was only the gentle hum on the ship in the otherwise silent room.

Despite the days since Spock's attack, there was still evidence of severe tearing which McCoy knew would be incredibly uncomfortable for the Vulcan. Any bruising had mostly gone by now. “Okay, this looks a lot better than I was expecting.”

“Do you require me to undress?”

“Hm? Oh, no. That won't be necessary.”

“May I ask how you plan to treat the injuries then, doctor? I had assumed that a dermal regenerator would be used.”

“No, that's far too invasive, Spock. I'm not going to make you go through anything like that. I'll use the same piece of equipment I use for muscle tears and strains, which always take a long time to heal. And between the two of us, this is also a God send after women have gone though childbirth. It's a slightly slower process and I may need you to come back for another session with it but it should heal just fine and it's a lot simpler for you to go through.” Spock simply nodded.  
McCoy started to get the equipment ready before his mind caught up with him. “Is that why you were reluctant to come? You thought I'd use the regenerator on you?”

Spock looked down, uncomfortable. “I- I did not welcome the idea of any form of treatment, Doctor. A Vulcan should heal himself.”

“I understand that,” McCoy said, uncharacteristically ignoring Spock's human side. “However, it's my job on board to make sure everyone is fit for duty, so let's just see if we can speed things up a little.” McCoy programmed the machine and then wheeled the machine over to the bed. The flat surface stretched across the bed, hovering over Spock's body with a slight white glow coming from it. “Okay, I've programmed in for a Vulcan-human mix and it should work to adjust it;s own programming once is samples your DNA mix,” McCoy filled in as he connected a metal cuff to one of Spock's wrists.

As it clicked shut, McCoy seemed to realise at the same time Spock did as a jolt of fear raced through the Vulcan. “I'm sorry, I forgot it monitors through the cuff. But it's not locked, you can remove it at any time yourself. Try it.” he encouraged.

“I have no need to test it when you have given your word, Doctor,” Spock said sounding calmer than he'd looked seconds ago.

“Well, this treatment is going to take about 15 minutes. And I'll get you back in 24 hours to see how it went and it we need another session. While we're waiting there er.... there's....there's more to this then just healing your wounds, Spock”

“Such as?”

“Well, usually I'd recommend counselling as bottling these sorts of things up is very bad for a person. However, I'm not going to recommend that for you. I think the best thing is for you to return to a half shift tomorrow, so we can assess how this whole thing has gone down and then decide on those next steps. I'd like for you to continue on half shifts and in lieu of that time, I'd like you to meditate. We'll do that for a week, see where you're at, and take it from there. How does that sound?”

“Agreeable, Doctor.”

He wasn't certain, but McCoy was certain he saw a trace of relief on Spock's face.

~

“Kirk? Why did you call us here? What's going on?” Uhura asked as she stepped into the ready room, Dr McCoy beside her.

“Hey, I'm sorry if I freaked you both out. I just, I wanted to know how Spock's doing.”

“Aw hell, Jim, you spend the morning with him on the bridge, why don't you ask him?”

“Oh yeah, sure. 'Hey Spock, how are you doing after-”

“Don't!” Uhura warned. “Don't say another word.”

“The point is, I can't just ask a Vulcan how he's doing. I wouldn't even want to ask a human how they were in this kind of situation. I know there's a confidentiality thing here, I'm not expecting some detailed report, Bones and I know he's your boyfriend Uhura but I just want to know that he's doing okay.”

“You think I'd let him go back on duty if he wasn't?”

“He's doing okay,” Uhura answered before Kirk could reply to McCoy. “He's been meditating a lot and it's not always successful but he's getting there. He's starting to work through the things it made him feel and deal with those. And FYI, I wouldn't offer to spar with him anytime soon.”

“That's good. A healthy release of frustration is good for a man.” McCoy said.

“Yeah, but not a Vulcan. So if you do happen to be in there when he is, don't say something like that to him.”

~

Chess had become a twice weekly thing for Kirk and Spock.

The attack had been months ago and Kirk had forgotten about it, more or less. It just happened to be on this night, while they were playing chess that Spock hesitated over a move his hand stilling above the piece before he finally moved it that Kirk noticed the tip of one of Spock's fingers was shorter than it should be. It was such a small difference it was hard to notice it, really but now he had, he thought nothing of asking about it. “What happened to your finger?”

Spock's arm moved out of sight so quickly with the comment and his eyes showed a brief glimpse of alarm before he reigned it in. “It was their trophy.”

“Trophy?” Kirk questioned.

Spock looked uncomfortable but continued. “When I was attacked, part of their process is to take a trophy at the end of their 'hunt'. The heal the wound so that there is nothing left to be fixed. It cannot be undone, much like the mark.”

“They marked you?” Kirk asked voice raised.

Spock stood up. “I apologise, Captain, I assumed you knew these things. I shall leave.”

“No, no, no... Spock, I don't want you to leave. I'm sorry. I should have... I should have known what happened to you. Please don't leave. We can drop it, I'm sorry.”

Spock paused where he was for a moment before sitting back down.

Kirk paid attention to his next move, his mind buzzing with questions.

“You may ask if you wish.” Spock eventually said.

“Ask what?”

“Whatever you wish to know.”

“I know what it's like if you don't want to talk about something. It's not exactly a nice topic of conversation...”

“If you have questions, as your First Officer I would be remiss not to answer them.”

“As your friend, I wouldn't ask that of you.”

“As a human, and my friend, I know that you will not be satisfied until you know some answers.”

“I am not going to make you talk about it, Spock.”

“Talking about it makes little difference now, Jim. As long as I have sufficient time to meditate afterwards, it will be no hardship.”

“I know... I know why they did it. That they consider themselves hunters. But I don't understand the markings and the trophies. Why go to that trouble?”

“Unclaimed Vulcans and other rare species are of more value to them. A bigger brag. The marks are proof of this. As for the trophies, it is not unlike human hunters from the past displaying animal heads mounted on their walls. While they do no such thing with the small trophies they take, it is proof for themselves of what they accomplished.”

Kirk's stomach rolled at the thought. “How can you talk about it so calmly?”

“I have lived with this for a long time now, Jim. There is no part of it I have not broken down and analysed. I will not allow it to control me. For they will have won if I let them. In the event such a thing was to happen again, then I ne-”

“Wait, wait a minute. This... what happened, that is never happening to you again, okay?”

“Ideally, correct. But not easy to prevent. I am on Starfleet's most notorious ship serving with one of the most publicised Captains. Our missions are logged, when we dock for shore leave, it is wide spread knowledge. They know where I am at all time, Jim. My safety cannot be guaranteed.”

“No. This isn't acceptable.” Jim protested.

“Jim, I will take precautions. I will be mindful of where and when I travel, and with who. I shall alert security if I need too. That is all I can do.”

The idea that Spock was vulnerable any time he was away from the ship didn't sit well with Jim, but it was clear Spock had considered this in some detail. “Just promise me you'll use me anytime you need too. If anything happened to you that I could have prevented-”

“I give you my word that I shall let you know Jim. And I thank you. Would you care to continue the game?”

Kirk looked at the abandoned game, his move still waiting. “Yes. Let's finish this game.”

 


End file.
